NBA Round-Up: 27 December, 2010 - (Part I)
Charlotte Bobcats 105 - Detroit Pistons 100
The Charlotte Bobcats picked up a 105-100 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons at the Time Warner Cable Arena. It was Paul Silas’ debut match as interim coach of Bobcats and he successfully led the home team to victory.
D.J. Augustin scored a season-high 27 points for Charlotte, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Stephen Jackson added 23 and Tyrus Thomas scored 14 points for the Bobcats in only their 10th win of the season.
Bobcats interim Coach Paul Silas said after the game, "D.J. [Augustin] was just outstanding. You have to have confidence and he had lost that. The confidence was back tonight for him. He made some unbelievable plays, hit some great shots, and played some
good defence.”
Charlie Villanueva did all he could and scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting for the Pistons in their 21st defeat of the season. Gordon and Tayshaun Prince registered 17 points apiece and Wilcox scored 15 for Detroit, who lost their second game
in a row.
The first aspect that jumps out is the pace. Detroit and Charlotte began the game at a crisp pace, using 26 possessions apiece in the opening quarter.
In the second quarter Charlotte came out and blitzed the Pistons with a 23-2 run to strengthen their hold on the game. The Bobcats scored the first 13 points of the quarter and made 10-for-14 going into the second stanza. However the Bobcats played some
tenacious shots and took a 56-44 lead at half time.
The Pistons fought hard in the third quarter to cut down the Bobcat’s 12-point lead. However both teams played the third with the same intensity, scoring 29 points each. Trailing by 85-73, Detroit played well in the final quarter to make the score respectable
one. However, Chris Wilcox's two extended Charlotte’s lead to 100-101 free throws with 1:01 left. The Bobcats went firmly on defence down the stretch to seal the victory.
Pistons Head Coach John Kuester, "I thought the energy of the second group that we put in for the second half was great," "They did a good job of getting us back into the game."
Orlando Magic 104 – New Jersey Nets 88
The Orlando Magic made it three in a row by defeating the New Jersey Nets 104-88 at the Prudential Center in Newark. Dwight Howard played one of his best games and led the Magic with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks.
Hedo Turkoglu finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. J.J. Redick contributed 15 points off the bench, while Jason Richardson had 14 points in Orlando’s 20th victory of the season. Ryan Anderson also scored 10 points and 12 rebounds in
the victory.
Dwight Howard told reporters after the game, "I got a chance to play a little more. We picked up our defensive intensity and I just tried to be more aggressive. I was able to beat the double team and get to the line. If they played me 1-on-1, I was just
aggressive and played with patience. We got the ball inside and played inside out."
Devin Harris chipped in with 24 points and grabbed six assists, while Brook Lopez scored 20 points in the season’s 22nd defeat for the Nets. Travis Outlaw and Jordan Farmar scored 10 points apiece in the defeat.
New Jersey put up a fight in the first half to trail by seven at half time. However, Ryan Anderson came back to haunt his former team with a corner three-pointer to give the Magic a 74-64 lead late in the third quarter. The Orlando Magic headed the final
stanza, in which they extended their lead to as much as 23 points.
Harris said, "We fought them pretty hard in the first half, the second half we came out and, for whatever reason, we were lethargic. We didn't have a lot of energy and they got to the spots and shot the ball well. They're a great shooting team, they move
the ball well and they made shots and we didn't."
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